Sermonette - June 11, 2018

We never retire in faith.

Jesus engaged in the world around him, and did not shy away from the society of his day. Jesus indicated that all who follow him will become like him. But what does it mean to “be like Jesus” in today’s complex world?

Human life is a mixture of good and bad, successes and dilemmas. Faith seems to come easy in good times. But during tough times we need to “take heart” and face up to the trials of this life. God looks for faithfulness, so in our life of faith we do what we can to obey and honor God with whatever comes our way. We may or may not be successful as our society measures success. But in the long run that hardly matters. What counts is whether we have faithfully served God with what God has entrusted to us. We certainly need to back up our faith with a Christ-like lifestyle.

God does not look for perfect people, but rather faithful people who can experience God’s forgiveness and grow into a life of faith and service. To be like Jesus means we will share the joys and risks of interacting with others. Some situations in life cannot be understood: cancer, unexpected death and tragedy of various kinds. Sometimes there seems no way out when the worst happens. Whenever such times come our way, we are called to be like Jesus, remaining firm in faith believing that God is in control.

Psalm 46: “Be still and know that I am God.”